Perth Amboy, NJ Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 411, Vehicles, Abandoned, starts with definitions in § 411-1. An abandoned motor vehicle is one parked illegally so as to obstruct traffic, parked illegally for an unreasonably long period, or parked lawfully for an unreasonably long period. A lawfully parked vehicle is deemed to have been there too long when it has remained in the same location on public property for two days or on private property for twenty days, except if stored in a private garage or driveway area. A derelict motor vehicle is any motor vehicle incapable of being moved under its own power. An unclaimed motor vehicle is one towed or moved by the Police Department or its designated agent and stored with a towing or wrecking facility for twenty days after the owner of record has been advised.

Section 411-2 prohibits storing a derelict motor vehicle on any land the person owns or controls. Section 411-3A prohibits abandoning a vehicle, or leaving it in a place and manner that makes it reasonably appear abandoned. Subsection B(1) bars leaving a partially dismantled, nonoperating, wrecked or junked vehicle on any street or highway, and B(2) bars repair, service or overhaul of any vehicle on a public street except emergency repairs completed in less than sixty minutes, unless the Perth Amboy Police Department grants an extension. Subsection C gives owners, tenants and occupants forty-eight hours on private property, with exceptions for a vehicle in an enclosed building, a vehicle needed for a lawful business, and a city storage depository.

A police officer can take an abandoned or unclaimed vehicle into possession and dispose of it under N.J.S.A. 39:10A-1 et seq. Under § 411-3D, the Deputy Chief of Police or a designee, and the Director of Public Works or a designee, can remove and impound a vehicle, and the registered owner is notified in writing by personal service or certified mail. Section 411-4 exempts a vehicle stored in a garage out of public view and any premises licensed as a junkyard.